'It’s a family atmosphere here': Sunderland's midfielder revels in good times at the Black Cats.
Vous or Tu? It reveals much about Habib Diarra that his joy at being promoted from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the first team was accompanied by worry over the two French words for “you.”
Was it appropriate to address new, senior teammates by using “tu” be regarded as disrespectful? In the end, the promising talent opted for caution and chose the more polite “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the veterans who told him not to be so silly; he was part of the group now.
“After I had the first call with the coach, I reflected and said to my parents: ‘Sunderland’s where I want to be; that’s where I want to play.’ The Premier League was always a ambition of mine and the coach presented me with a clear and interesting project.”
Almost five years later, Diarra is settled in an office at Sunderland’s Academy of Light explaining why he turned down offers from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His natural politeness endures but it is evident that the young Senegal international and doubt are virtual strangers. Diarra conducts himself with the confidence befitting a player who led Strasbourg at the age of 20 and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching an AFCON championship trophy.
A Defined Vision
Now that the groin issue that kept him out for much of the opening months of the domestic season healed, Diarra is on a quest to demonstrate precisely why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal questioned Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s reputation as a gifted youth coach.
“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s capabilities because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I understood he was very good, very strong tactically. He’s someone I know is aiding my development. And although our first objective is reaching 40 points, a place in Europe is certainly a achievable goal this season.”
A Family Atmosphere
Outside, the cold winter gusts and driving rain makes Wearside look as grim as it is often stereotyped. Inside, things are considerably warmer. The atmosphere is devoid of the type of strain found in certain clubs where administrative staff are deliberately segregated from first-team players. Diarra describes the environment as “really natural” and commends Le Bris’s role in its creation.
“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we have a familial bond here and we all support each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the structure, rigor and immense effort underpinning Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a testament to the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to use their initiative. He offers his engine room players complete licence to be creative and interchange positions.
“The coach sets his tactics out within a framework but we have license to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a box-to-box No 8. “During matches that is empowering. That autonomy is so important. Granit, our skipper, guides us a lot. He’s a really big player and a superb role model.”
Path and Settlement
Diarra is speaking through a French interpreter but his English has advanced to the point where he can understand most questions. He is now concentrating on acquiring the vocabulary to also answer them, which would be his third tongue. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in his hometown near the Senegalese capital.
His early maturity helped him deal with the frustration of needing groin surgery followed by four months out of action last autumn. “Being injured so soon after arriving here was frustrating, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to manage myself.”
Diarra is now looking forward to playing in this summer’s World Cup. Given Senegal have been drawn in the same group as France, a emotional matchup awaits the former Les Bleus under-21 midfielder. “I loved playing for France but my heart spoke,” says Diarra. “I have no remorse. I was born in Senegal; it makes me proud to play for them.”
Similar emotions apply to Sunderland. “I’ve adapted very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”